17 charges laid against B.C. man in Lower Mainland hit-and-run spree

An Abbotsford man is facing 17 charges in connection to a hit-and-run that injured six people and killed one dog.

James Joseph Gordon, 24, appeared in court Friday in Abbotsford. Charges against him include five counts of assault with a weapon, five counts of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, five counts of failing to stop at the scene of a crash, possession of stolen property, and arson.

Those charges are in addition to previous charges of theft of a vehicle and breach of a court recognizance order.

This week, police asked again for video of the truck from witnesses or motorists who have dash cams.

The incident happened Dec. 19 around 8 p.m. The driver began speeding through North Langley, allegedly deliberately trying to run down pedestrians, said Cpl. Holly Largy, spokesperson for the Langley RCMP.

Between 8:11 and 10:12 p.m., he struck six people in Langley. Two dogs were also hit, one of them dying from the impact.

Several people were injured and taken to the ER, but only one remains in hospital recuperating, said Largy.

The driver then headed east to Abbotsford and hit one final pedestrian at 10:32 p.m.

Police said the man then torched and abandoned his stolen Mazda pickup truck and took another car, but was captured shortly after that by Langley RCMP and Abbotsford Police working together.

“Now that Christmas has passed, police are asking for the public to take some time and check any devices that may have video footage,” said Largy.

Police are looking for anything in North Langley or Abbotsford that caught the driving patterns of the pickup between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. The truck is a dark green 1998 mazda B4000 light pickup. Police have released photos of the vehicle, now damaged by fire.

“The video footage will be used to document the movements of this vehicle throughout the evening, and even the smallest amount of footage would be appreciated to further this extremely important investigation,” Largy said.

Langley RCMP’s Serious Crimes Unit is still investigating the incidents, with the Abbotsford Police Department.